Okaeri Nasai:A New Year
by Misty Not So Much
Summary: New Year's is all about making a fresh start, about giving up past vices, and looking forward to the future. Usagi Tsukino couldn't disagree more. But that won't stop her from attending a certain party at a certain person's home...
1.

Seeing as I'm always a bit behind when it comes to just about everything, here is my holiday gift to everyone. Hey, it's still the holiday season! And since I feel like being politically correct, it's a New Year's fic. There, isn't it great I'm not going to get into religious preferences? 

            And this is just a bunch of WAFF. I thought it was appropriate what with the season and all, but if you're not in the mood, I'll have something out later that's more…me.

            This takes place after the first (not happy) ending of Okaeri Nasai. 

            All standard disclaimers apply.

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            Usagi put the car in park and unfastened her seatbelt. Her eyes fell on her handbag and the cream envelope that lay on the seat next to her. A vague sensation of butterflies hit her. She always got like this before going to any large gathering.

            _'Maybe I should have brought someone…no, that would have been bad,'_

            She suddenly slumped back in her seat, feeling overwhelmed for a moment. It was just a party. It was just a stupid New Year's party. She could get drunk, stay up late and then wake up the next morning, recover, and the holiday season would finally come to a close.

            Christmas had come and gone with the usual amount of stress, shopping, terrible gifts, and family. Not that she had minded all that much. It was nice to buy things for the people she cared about, and it was good to see them with Christmas to distract them from one another's problems.

            Her friends and family seemed to be on her back less during Christmas, which proved to be her favorite gift.

            Although tonight, and the days leading up to it had been hell. The New Year always put everyone into the fervor of renewal. Every mistake that had been made in the year before was to be forgotten, and only the future seemed to matter.

            God she hated it.

            Since when could one night change everything? How could an entire future be wiped clean in an instant?

            A gunshot echoed in the back of her head, and she sat up suddenly. How wrong she had been about New Year's. After a moment more of moping, she finally realized that the party was going to be over, and/or someone was going to discover her sitting in her car fretting if she didn't get in there and at least make an appearance.

            With a deep breath she yanked the keys from the ignition and stuffed them in her purse. She grabbed the envelope as well.

            Her heels clicked on the pavement. She fought to keep her balance. It didn't matter how cute Makoto had thought they were when they found them in the shop, they were awful to walk in. She neared the doors, and was reminded of her appearance. A swift check of her hair and a smoothing of her dress before she smiled and showed the man at the door her invitation did the trick.

            She entered into the room filled with lights and people. The butterflies multiplied and grew at the same time. _'Quit being such a wuss Usa-chan,'_ she mentally chastised herself. 

            Usagi had barely put two feet in the door before Bulma was running at her with a huge grin on her face. Usagi managed a weaker version.

            "Oh Usagi-chan it's so good to see you again," she said, hugging her.

            Usagi felt her smile become stronger. "It's good to see you too," she said genuinely.

            "You look great! Have you enjoyed being back in Tokyo?" She asked, looking her over.

            Usagi shrugged a little. "It's not bad, but I forgot how crowded it was! It's good to be near my family though, and I like working at home and sleeping in,"

            "That's great! Although I can't say I don't miss having a secretary like you,"

            She flushed, laughing a little. "I do miss it," she said, and then went silent. Discomfort filled her. _'God this was a bad idea,'_

            Bulma smiled then. It was one of understanding and comfort. "I understand." Usagi believed her. "I think I have to get back to the other guests, I wish I could stay and chat-"

            "-Don't worry about it," Usagi smiled gratefully at her. "I'll go mingle,"

            "I've seen a few people around you might recognize."

            She nodded absently. Bulma left, and Usagi was alone in the crowd of happy people. She noticed there was less than an hour until midnight. She felt slightly relieved.

            Usagi spent her time mostly hiding out of sight. She wasn't in the mood to socialize with most of the people there, so she contented herself with several cups of punch. 

            She hummed lightly to the music, leaning against her favorite part of wall. Raising her fourth cup to her lips, she watched the dancers contentedly. Just thirty minutes until she could cheer, toast and leave.

            "Usagi-chan?!"

            She jumped, upsetting the cup in her hands. Luckily the pink substance landed on the carpet instead of her dress. Her eyes became the size of saucers as she looked to the person addressing her.

            "Ami-chan!" she gasped.

            "What are you doing here?!" they chorused. Both broke out into laughter.

            "Well I used to work for Bulma-san, you know that," Usagi said after recovering. 

            "And I've been researching and trying to convince the hospital I'm working for that Bulma-san's latest technology is needed for exploratory surgery," Ami replied. "And I'm so sorry I surprised, you, here, let me get you another glass,"

            "Oh, don't worry about it, I've had enough," Usagi said with a wave of her hand. 

            "It was so great to get invited by Bulma-san. She was so nice to me when I interrogated her on her latest work." Ami said with a smile. "I just didn't expect you to be here, you don't like parties like this very much,"

            "Bulma's great," Usagi agreed. "And I don't like parties like these, she's the reason why I'm here actually. I felt bad passing up her invitation,"

            "Ah, the one way to beat Usagi-chan's nerves is guilt," Ami surprisingly joked.

            Usagi flushed. "You're right, what a weakness," she sighed, gazing at the sea of people. There was a period of silence between them. Usagi shifted, wanting to change the subject. "So twenty minutes and the another year has gone by,"

            "Mmm," Ami agreed, taking a sip of her own glass. "Can you believe how much time has passed?"

            "Don't get nostalgic on me Ami-chan," Usagi said with a sad smile. "Aren't we supposed to dismiss our past mistakes and look blindly towards the future?"

            Ami quirked her lips. "Usagi-chan, it's interesting to see how your sense of humor has changed. But yes, you're right. New Year's is about making a fresh start, not reminiscing." 

            They stood, talking quietly about other more meaningless things until only a few minutes remained on the large clock hanging from the ceiling. Somebody called to Ami and dragged her away, claiming some other important doctors wanted to speak with her.

            Usagi was left alone again. She decided she actually would have another cup of punch. Easily draining it, she noticed several people handing out noisemakers, blowouts and other items to play with when the clock struck 12. 

            "Here, have a kazoo," One grinning woman said, cheerfully handing her one.

            "Thanks," Usagi forced a smile as she fingered the instrument. Only two minutes remained, and she realized that all that punch had gone straight to her bladder. "Where's the bathroom?" she muttered to herself.

            It was then she noticed it was located at the other side, across the dance floor, and unfortunately, the large group had gathered in the main room, all facing the enormous clock expectantly. She sighed in dismay, and began shoving her way through.

            The clock hit one, and everyone went silent. 

            Usagi cursed violently in her head as she laced through the crowds. After nearly and hour of standing around in her nice tall shoes, her feet were throbbing.

            Only the numbers ten remained illuminated, and Usagi didn't need to look up to keep track, she just had to listen to everyone eagerly shouting out the countdown.

            _"Nine…"_

            She groaned, moving faster. She had to get to the bathroom before everyone started toasting and dancing and singing. Otherwise, she would stand no chance.

            _"Eight…"_

            She pushed past a large man and a woman at his side…

            _"Seven…"_

            …Only to knock into another man who had his back to her.

            _"Six…"_

            "Dammit," she muttered under her breath. "Excuse me," she said more loudly to the man that was standing in her way.

            _"Five…"_

            He turned around.

            _"Four…"_

            Her eyes widened.

            _"Three…"_

            His eyes widened.

            _"Two…"_

            Her mouth parted, and she found her voice was long gone.

            _"One!"_

            "Usagi,"

            _"Happy New Year!"_

She gasped, and then managed to regain the remnants of her voice. "Trunks," she breathed.

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            I'll post the rest tomorrow. Don't worry, it'll be finished. And like I said, it's just sappy romance.


	2. 

            This one is for Almaseti, and of course, the wife, Talysmin, who was about to cry when I said I might leave this one alone. And like I said before, I'm behind on everything, so when I said I'd post tomorrow, I meant, um, 4 days later. Hehehe…

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            "Trunks," she breathed.

            She didn't know if he had heard her or not. The entire room had exploded with cheers and song only a second after she had opened her mouth. It didn't seem to matter anyway.  Both were contented with staring at one another in shock and awe.

            That is, until the large man and his female companion accidentally hit Usagi in the back. She wobbled on her high heels for a moment, before her ankles gave way and she was propelled towards Trunks.

            _'This is the most embarrassing moment of my life,' _She thought as her face pressed up against his chest, and his arms came around her waist to catch her. But it was at that moment that several memories surfaced and flashed before her very quickly.

            She remembered the first time she had met him. When he had yanked the headphones off of her ears. She remembered telling him about Mamoru. She remembered being hugged. She remembered hiding behind a box of panty-liners.

            Her cheeks caught fire. How many embarrassing, surreal moments had she had with him? One would think she would have gotten used to the feeling, or would have learned how to avoid them…

            But it had been almost three years.

            Her eyes met his. His face was red as well. She pulled away, and stood on her own again. She cleared her throat nervously. She had to think of something to say. Fast. 

"L-long time no see," She mentally groaned. _'That was the stupidest thing I could have possibly said, next to "Oh hey! You mean you do remember me as someone other than the girl that slept with you and then ran away?'"_

            Surprisingly, he smiled slightly. "Yeah." He looked as though he were about to say more, but Usagi was distracted by another intoxicated man almost mowing her down in his exuberance. Trunks noticed this, and hesitantly asked, "Do you want to get out of here?"

            She looked at him, feeling relief wash over her. She would give her firstborn male child to get out away from the party. "Yeah, that'd be great," she said with a smile.

            She followed him through the dancing crowd to the edge of the room, out a side door and onto a patio leading to the manicured lawns of Capsule Corporation. 

            They both halted, and turned to one another. Usagi felt her cheeks reheat. And then suddenly, she burst into laughter. 

            He looked at her strangely.

            "I'm not laughing at you! I'm so sorry! It's just, even after three years, I mean, every time I'm with you it seems something extremely embarrassing happens to me and I'm always left standing here feeling like a bumbling idiot!" she blurted out, and then laughed harder. 

            He smiled as well. "You don't look like one," he reassured.

            "Good," she grinned. "Because I need my good looks to get by in life!"

            They laughed more.

"You don't mind if I sit down, do you? Whoever decided tall shoes were fashionable was a man that never had to wear them," Usagi all but collapsed on the nearest chair she could find, and yanked off her shoes. He sat down in a nearby chair as well. After getting comfortable, she looked at him again, searching for words. "So…how have you been?"

            He seemed to hesitate before answering. "I've been fine," he replied. "And you?"

            "I've been pretty good," she said after a moment. "I moved back to Tokyo, and I've been writing for my dad's newspaper,"

            He smiled. "That does sound good,"

            "Yeah, it's not bad," she said easily. "So what have you been doing lately?"

            "Not much," Was all he said.

            Her brow furrowed slightly, but she didn't pursue the subject. "How long have you been back?"

            "Only a few days,"

            This conversation was going nowhere. "Did Bulma-san tell you I was going to be at the party?"

            "She told me she sent you an invitation, but she wasn't sure if you were going to show up,"

            "I wasn't either," Usagi shifted uncomfortably. "Last time I came to one of Bulma's parties I got shot in the shoulder,"

            He winced. She regretted saying anything at all. She regretted coming here. God, why did she have to bring up something awful like that?

            "That wasn't the best of nights," he murmured, looking down at his hands thoughtfully.

            The conversation died an awkward death.

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            Usagi's eyes slowly opened. There was a shaft of light hitting her square in the forehead, and she was beginning to wonder if there it was burning a hole in it. She shifted in irritation, and realized that she was not alone, and that the bed she was in was not hers.

            Oh.

            She looked at him fearfully. Asleep. Thank God. Letting out a calming breath, she crawled out from under the sheets, and began the search for her dress and shoes.

            Creeping around on the floor, she found her clothing spread around in various places. Pulling them on quickly, but silently, she stole one last glance at him. Still asleep. Thank the Lord. And made for the door.

            "You're out of practice."

            She froze.

            "This time wasn't nearly as silent as three years ago," Trunks said calmly from his seated position on the bed.

            Usagi turned, her face red and her heart pounding. Hadn't she said something the night before about embarrassing moments with him? This one beat all. _'Bumbling, clumsy idiot!'_ she chastised herself.

            Swallowing the lump in her throat, she found a surprising answer. "What was I suppose to do this time, wake up late with you, have another round and then borrow your clothes and have breakfast with the family?"

            His eyebrows rose. "If that's what you want,"

            "No, what I want is to leave before I do get bombarded by your mother making marriage plans," she said angrily. 

            "It's ten in the morning and your car spent the night here," he answered. "And so did you. I mean, do you do this to a lot of men? Is this a joke?"

            She felt a spike of anger. "Since when was I in control of this?!" she shouted. "It's not like I dragged you into bed! Far from it! Either time!"

            "But I'm not the one who attempts to disappear the morning after, like it never happened!" His anger matched hers with ease.

            She swallowed again. "You don't understand,"

            "Usagi, how many times have you told me that?" he said quietly. "How many times have you dismissed me?"

            "Trunks, it's not you, it's my fault. Do you know how much I want to stay? I'd give anything to be with you again, permanently." She felt the lump return. "But-"

            "-You just can't. Usagi, I don't need the same song and dance you gave me three years ago," He said. She felt his annoyance.

            "Trunks, listen to me!" she shouted, tears stinging in her eyes. "This wasn't my fucking choice! It's never been my choice! It's always been somebody else grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me in one direction or another! Don't guilt-trip me because I can't control my own god damn life!"

            "Just leave Usagi," he said quietly. "Just run away,"

            She stared at him. Her eyes burned. He was pushing her away, and suddenly, it began to hurt. Her chest tightened. "Trunks-"

            "This is what you want, isn't it? To be able to leave without regrets? Usagi, get out of here. Go back to Tokyo and pretend this never happened."

            She took a deep breath, and halted the tears. With a short nod, she left the room.

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            "Just stop crying already," she muttered harshly to herself. "You were the one who left!"

            She all but slapped the turn signal on, and twisted the wheel violently around. She had to pull herself together. She let out another angry sob, and began to wipe the tears away from her eyes with a free hand.

            She had turned the radio on some time ago, hoping it would calm her nerves, maybe distract her. An upbeat love song sent her smacking the off button.

            "Idiot," Usagi murmured. "Stupid bumbling idiot,"

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            I promised Talysmin I'd have this out the night before this…I'm such a bad person. And it's not finished. No. One more piece to the puzzle. You knew I'd draw this out, didn't you? It's just my way I guess, nothing can ever be a real one-shot with me. Ah well, I'd finish it right now but I am so tired I'm about to pass out and fall asleep on my keyboard. I love you Wifey! *Gives her a bouquet of roses* And I am SO sorry! I've straightened everything out, and I promise I'll wear the apron any time you want, so long as I can wear the slippers too! ^_-


	3. 

            Lord, I really don't know what to put as a note. Umm…this is the last chapter? And um…it's more sappy romance, so be warned. And lots of sexual innuendo.

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            "Idiot!"

            Usagi winced and held the phone away from her ear as Rei continued shouted over the phone at her. She wandered around the living room, occupying herself during the rant.

            "Usagi-chan, my god! Are you a sadist or something?! Do you enjoy putting yourself and others through needless pain?!" 

            Usagi winced again. Rei had always had a way with words. "Rei-chan-"

            "I can't even begin to understand why you tried to walk out on him! Are you out of your mind?! He wasn't some one night stand! You _knew the guy! And you did it before three years ago!"_

            "Rei-chan-" Usagi began to pace the length of the carpet.

            "Usagi-chan, do we need to get you back to the psychiatrist? You could have at least stayed and explained to him why you don't want to be in a relationship, maybe _apologize for __sleeping with the poor guy!" _

            "_Rei-chan-" She walked faster._

            "How the hell do you do that job of yours?! Who are you to write advice to people with love, Tsukino Usagi, when you refuse to be with a man who is crazy about you?! What do you give advice on? How to run away properly? How to avoid confrontation at all costs? How to selfishly refuse to be with a man because you don't know how to be in a relationship?!"

            She stumbled. "_Rei-chan__!" Usagi voice broke as she hoarsely cried out. "You're right," she whispered, collapsing on the couch next to her. Trembling fingers combed through her hair._

            "Usagi-chan, I didn't mean to-"

            "-You're right Rei-chan!" She cut her off. "I am a hypocrite! I'm weak! I can't stand up to anyone! I just run away whenever something goes wrong! I did it with Mamoru and now I'm doing it with Trunks and I'm going to die cold and alone because of it! You're completely right Rei-chan! I've let all of you down! Everyone I've ever loved has been hurt because I couldn't face my problems! It's my fault you won't get the perfect future you deserve! It's my fault the Utopia won't ever come! It's my fault Minako-chan's dead! I killed her! I fucking killed all of them! I killed them, and I'll kill you!"

            Her vision slowly faded into a screen of white, traveling with a low buzzing noise. The phone fell from her hand. She lurched forward onto the floor, and curled up into a shaking ball.

            "Usagi-chan?! Usagi-chan, are you there?! Usagi-chan, answer me! Please tell me you are alright…oh God Usagi-chan, I'm coming over right now, don't move!"

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            "Tell me Usagi-san, how have you been feeling this past week?"

            "Fine,"

            "Has the medication had any effect on your daily life?"

            "I feel numb, completely numb. I know I ought to be crying, or angry, but I can't seem to feel it. I'm empty."

            "Usagi-san, perhaps this is not caused by your medication, and rather yourself. Anti-depressants don't silence your emotions, you should still feel like yourself,"

            "I don't,"

            "Well then Usagi-san, who do you feel you really are? What parts of you do you feel are now missing?"

            She stared blankly out the office's window. Cars were driving down the streets below. "Everything is missing."

            "You feel as though everything left when you began the medication?"

            "It left when my fiancé shot himself in the head." She murmured. "I regained something three years ago. And then I let it go. I tried to make myself someone else after that. But then I realized that I'm exactly the same."

            "Who do you feel you are?"

            "An idiot."

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            She threw the plastic bottle out, still half-full of little pink pills, and then called her father at the newspaper, telling him she wouldn't be writing the advice column anymore.

            Usagi left her apartment and walked down the hall slowly, studying the pattern of the carpet and the toes of her shoes. She reached the elevator and pressed the down button. 

            After a few moments, the doors slid open with a soft chime and she stood face to face with Trunks.

            She looked at him in detached curiosity. "What are you doing here?"

            He smiled faintly. "I thought it was obvious. I didn't really feel like waiting another three years to see you again,"

            "So you went with three weeks instead," she finished, continuing to use a quiet tone that only held a hint of sadness, if any emotion to it. She paused for a moment, studying the carpet once more. "I was thinking the last thing you wanted would be to see me again,"

            He shifted his weight. "Well, that was how I felt for a while. But, I figured it wouldn't hurt to just visit you,"

            "Tokyo is four hours away from the West Capitol," She calmly pointed out. 

            "How have you been?" he asked, ignoring her statement. He had noticed her expression, her tone, her pale skin and hooded eyes.

            "I went back to my psychiatrist the day after," She said, not caring to elaborate.

            He understood, but didn't reply. Instead he looked her over once more with one of his calculating stares.

            She felt discomfort and annoyance flare at the pit of her stomach. "Why are you really here?" She spat out. "You threw me out of your room,"

            "You left on your own." He easily matched her emotion.

            "And you seem to think you gave me much choice?" She felt incredulous.

            "Don't blame me. You're just angry because you weren't able to do what you did three years ago."

            Her chest wrenched. "Who the hell do you think you are?! You show up in my apartment to chew me ou-"        

            She was cut short as the elevator doors began to slide shut automatically. Instinctively Trunks pressed one hand against the door to hold it. His other hand grabbed Usagi's wrist and pulled her into the small space.

            She fell against his chest, and flushed angrily. "What are you doing?!" she asked, flustered and furious at the same time.

            She pulled away from him, but his hands gripped her upper arms, keeping her from going far. "We have unfinished business," he said quietly.

            She squirmed in his grasp. Being close to him was making this very difficult for her.

            "I'm not leaving until we resolve things. If you honestly feel like you never want to see me again, tell me, and I'll leave."

            Her eyes widened, and she felt her lower lip begin to tremble. _'No.' "Yes." She choked out. The tears she hadn't noticed before fell. "You don't deserve me."_

            He stepped back from her, releasing his hold. His face hardened, and he nodded slightly. The elevator had come to a halt on the ground floor. "Fine."

            The doors opened softly, but he paused for a moment. "I wanted to give this back to you," he said, pulling something from his pocket, and pressing it firmly into one of her shaking hands. He turned and left the elevator, walking towards the exit of the building.

            It was cool to the touch, heavy in weight, and smooth. Her fingers slowly opened, revealing the ginzuishou. The tears blinded her for a moment, and her chest heaved. It was dimmer than ever before.

            "WAIT!" She screamed, and took off running towards his retreating form.

            He turned at her voice, and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

            He looked down at her, disbelieving.

            She smiled through her tears. "I love you. You drive me crazy! I love you!" she cried out.

            He smiled back at her, and gently cupped her cheek. "I love you too,"

            It was one of those sweet, mind-blowing kisses that make time stand still.

            They parted, smiling stupidly at one another.

            He idly ran a hand through her hair. "Do you want to," he hesitated, and she flushed brilliantly. "go for a walk?"

            She burst out laughing suddenly. It was funny how finally admitting to something could turn you into such a euphoric idiot. "Yes," Usagi answered, smiling one of her beautiful smiles. "I would love to go for a walk."

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            They made their way slowly through the park, hands entwined. At first they were happy with the peaceful silence, letting the other absorb all that had just happened.

            A few minutes passed though, and Usagi halted, and turned to face Trunks. Her face became somber for a moment as she prepared herself for what she was going to say. "Trunks, I love you, and that's why I'm going to tell you everything about myself, whether you like it or not,"

            His mouth twitched in a smile as he pretended to be worried. "Usagi I really don't want to know your bathroom habits,"

            She flushed and swatted at his arm, fighting off laughter. "Not that stuff you dummy! Lord, I work so hard to get up the nerve to say this and you make fun of me!"

            His face quickly reverted back to a more serious one. "I'm sorry Usagi, go on."

            She took a breath. "Do you remember when you took me to the hospital because I had a panic attack in the grocery store? And they made the psychiatrist come talk to me?"

            He nodded.

            "I told you I felt like I didn't know anything about you," her eyes shifted to the ground for a moment. "But in truth, it's completely the other way around. I knew a hundred times more about you than you knew, and still know about me. And it's my fault. You're always asking, and trying to get me to open up, and I just keep running away-"

            A calming hand on her cheek halted her downward spiral. Her eyes flicked up at him once more and she smiled, feeling reassured.

            "I knew all about you and your father, some of your darkest, best kept secrets." Her voice became soft. "And there are so many things that I haven't told you, and I really should."

            She grinned suddenly. "To start, my favorite color is pink. My birthday is June 30th, my favorite food is anything sweet, and my greatest fear is that everything I've ever grown to care about will be taken from me,"

            He smiled back at her. "Alright, I can handle that," he replied.

            The started walking again.

            "So, how bout I tell you some more secret ones?" she asked, scuffing her shoes on the path for a moment. She looked up and grinned suddenly, and began to recite. "It all began over a thousand years ago…"

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            *Pulls out hair in frustration* I really want to end it right there, but I think there's a few things that still aren't resolved yet. Even if I am rapidly losing my sappy romance mood and would love to work on all my other stuff on my to-do list, I love you guys enough to finish this. Ok, I'll shut up now.

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            Usagi rolled over, and giggled.

            Squirming slightly, she laughed harder.

            "Trunks if you don't stop tickling me I'm going to pee my pants." she murmured into one of her pillows, and then giggled again.

            It was still dark out, she noticed as her sleepy haze slowly disappeared.

            The walk in the park had been a long one, since her story had been a long one. It had led to more stories, some his, some hers. The afternoon had stretched on, until it reached the dinner hours, and they went to a nearby restaurant. Dinner had led to desert, filled with more talking about random things, which had led to him taking her back to her apartment. Which had led to, well…She flushed. 

            Usagi figured she'd still be blushing like a schoolgirl when she was an old lady. Especially around him.

            She grinned, turning to face him. Blowing a raspberry, she swatted at his hands. "Jerk," she twisted her face in fake fury. 

            He grinned back at her, a hand wrapping around her waist and pulling her towards him. "Are you going to do something about it?"

            "Yup. Punish you in the name of the moon," she giggled again, waving a finger in warning.

            He laughed with her. "That'd be fun. How short did you say the skirts on your sailor suit were?"

            "Pervert!" she burst into laughter again. "You better be glad I can't transform anymore! I'd shove my tiel up-"

            He silenced her with a soft kiss. "What's a tiel anyway?" he asked afterwards.

            She shrugged, resting her head upon his chest. Her thoughts wandered around various things as they lay in silence, his hand absently running through her hair.

            She lifted her head, and looked down into his eyes, her hair falling around them in a golden curtain. "Trunks," she said quietly. "I have a question,"

            "What is it?" he asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

            "You and Bulma-san told me how all of the men who underwent the DNA alterations experienced terrible side-effects. W-what about you?" she asked hesitantly.

            "Well, you see, I'm a nymphomaniac because of the DNA from my father," he said very seriously.

            Her eyes widened, and then she burst out laughing. Her cheeks still reddened though. "You jerk," she cried out. "I was asking a serious question!"

            "And I'm serious too!" he retorted, though he was laughing too now. Composing himself, he gave her the real explanation. "When I went back to the past, my mother was aware that the effects would kick in on me soon. We found that the only way to stop them was to remove the alterations completely,"

            She giggled. "I knew you were lying,"

"Why's that?"

"Being a nymphomaniac isn't terrible,"

He stared at her in surprise before laughing again. "Well, not for you,"

She flushed again, and then sobered. "So no more super powers?" she said softly.

            "Nope, just an average Joe."

            "Super powers aren't all they're cracked up to be," she said, lowering her head so their foreheads touched.

            He grew more serious. "No, even with them I couldn't fix things. All of my father's friends still died. And my time was still a living hell,"

            She smiled sadly. "But this one isn't. I think that counts for something."

            He smiled as well. "Are you always this perfect?" he said, caressing her cheek.

            "I try," she grinned, kissing him. She laid her head against his chest again. "I never killed anyone before." She said suddenly.

            "Not many people have,"

            "You have."

            "They were machines,"

            "But, I was supposed to be a fighter too, I was supposed to rid the world of evil. But every time it came down to making the fatal blow, I found another way."

            "You shouldn't be ashamed of that."

            "When I refused to kill Hotaru because she was a friend, and an innocent, the others thought I was weak because of it. Haruka and Michiru told me I didn't deserve to be the leader. And it was pure luck that Saturn and I were able to defeat Pharaoh 90." She hesitated for a moment. "What if Saturn hadn't appeared? What if I wasn't able to use the Holy Grail? What if somehow I wasn't the Messiah?"

            "There's no point in spending your life asking what if," he said, staring at the ceiling. "You just have to push forward."

            "Why did you come back?'

            Silence reigned for nearly a minute.

            "My mother died. Afterwards I spent a lot of time thinking. There was nothing left for me in that world. Too much had been destroyed. When I went back, I thought that destroying the androids would make me feel better. I thought the emptiness I had lived with for so long would disappear. After I killed them, and after my mother died, it only grew."

            Her head had lifted to watch him as he spoke, but his eyes remained trained on the ceiling.

            "I thought a lot about you. I wondered what happened to you. Where you had gone, what you had done. I keep wondering what it would have been like if somehow I had convinced you to come with me, if I would be happier,"

            Usagi felt her chest tighten. God she had been selfish for leaving him three years ago. She had put him through so much pain and agony, because she had been scared.

            "I figured I wouldn't know until unless I went back, and found you,"

            "You came back for me?" she breathed in shock. Idiot. So selfish. Selfish idiot.

            "If there was even a possibility that I could be with you again, I wasn't going to let it go." The hand that had been resting on her waist tightened. "The time I spent with you, was the only time I ever felt…right, complete, at peace with myself,"

            He looked at her, wondering if it had been worth telling her all of this.

            She smiled softly. "I think," she said carefully, letting her fingers walk across his chest. "The feeling is mutual,"

            He smiled back at her, and they shared another lingering kiss.

            "So do we have to get married now?" she asked playfully.

            "Sure, why not?" he replied with a grin. "It's not like I have to get you a ring or anything,"

            "And why is that?" she asked suspiciously.

            "I just gave you an enormous, one of a kind, ancient magical diamond, how the hell can I top that?"

            "First of all, you gave that back to me, it doesn't count!" she giggled. "And I want to be taken out on _real date, and I want a __real ring, and I want it to be romantic and special,"_

            He stared at her as if she had three heads.

            "And you have to meet my parents first,"

            He groaned. "Never mind, we can date for the rest of our lives,"

            She swatted at his chest in mock anger. "You jerk! We haven't even been on a real date yet! Except for today I guess,"

            "I think we had some really interesting times together, I really enjoy pulling headphones off of your head while you work, showing you where the park is, running into you and spilling your papers and driving you home, running into you in the grocery store, watching you have a panic attack, taking you to the hospital, taking you to funerals, taking you to a ball where you get shot in the shoulder by my enemy, running into you on New Year's Eve, having two separate one night stands and then cornering you in an elevator," he reeled off until she was dying of laughter.

            "God, I think we ought to try and go out on a real date without something disastrous happen before we start talking about getting married,"

            "Mmm, I think you're right,"

            "But we _are getting married. It has been my dream since I was a little girl to get married," she insisted._

            "Why don't we just take this one step at a time Usagi?" he asked quietly.

            She smiled softly, and nodded her agreement.

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            The next morning dawned bright and warm. The sky was a bright blue and completely unmarred by clouds. Usagi felt that warm contented feeling wash over her as she rolled over in her bed.

            The sensation faded quickly as she realized with a start that not only was she alone, but she was also hand-cuffed to the bedpost. "Trunks!" she shouted. "What the hell is this?!"

            Laughter was audible in the next room. "Just some insurance honey," he called back. "Would you like some coffee?"

            "Insurance?!" she shrieked. "It's my house! Why hell would I want to walk out of my own house?!"

            "I'm beginning to wonder if maybe those times you left early were good ones, you're awful grumpy in the morning," he answered as he entered the room and leaned casually on the doorjamb.

            "Trunks you jerk!" she shouted. She was caught between being embarrassed, pissed, or amused. It didn't help that he was enjoying this immensely. "Are you going to let me go? My wrist hurts!"

            He walked over the side of the bed and crouched beside it and placed a hand on her bound ones. A mischievous twinkle lit his eyes. "Well, that depends," he said slowly. "Do you promise not to run away?"

            She narrowed her eyes. "I mean in my own home, stupid," She replied.

            He continued as if she hadn't replied. "And do you promise to be nice to me and respect me, and not beat me to death after I release you,"

            "It's tempting, but yes, I promise I won't," she sighed.

            "And do you promise to be my wanton sex slave for all eternity?"

            "Trunks!"

            "You're so cute when you scandalized,"

            "Perverted jerk…"

            "Do you promise?"

            "Fine I promise to be your sex slave."

            "You forgot wanton and for all eternity,"

            "I will be wanton and yours for all eternity."

            "Great! Here let me find the keys…"

            "Trunks?"

            "Uh-oh,"

            "You didn't loose the keys did you?"

            "…"

            "I take back everything I said about not hurting you! I'm going to bludgeon you to death with my feet if I have to! I'm not staying tied to this bed for the rest of my life!"

            "Well, you could chew your hands off,"

            Her eyes widened in horror again, until a faint clicking sound came from above her, and her hands fell away from the post.

            Trunks merrily jingled the keys and the handcuffs in front of her with a grin on his face.

            She rubbed the feeling back into her wrists while reeling off a long and colorful list of threats aloud to him as soon as she had the circulation back in her hands.

            "Kicking me in the groin doesn't require hands," he interrupted.

            "You're right,"

            "Please don't! You promised you'd be my slave!"

            "Just you wait until I introduce my mother to yours." She said with an evil look in her eye. "You are going to have the most torturous wedding you've ever imagined."

            "No!" He cried out in anguish. "Oh well, I'll have to endure. Anything for the honeymoon. Speaking of which, I ought to keep hold of these handcuffs."

            "I'm beginning to really believe you weren't lying last night and you really are a nympho,"

            He grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

            "It sure would explain a few things," she sighed, sitting up and preparing to get up. "What do you want for breakfast?"

            "You,"

            "Keep this up and you're going to have to come with me to meet my psychiatrist."

            "What, tell him that you're no longer feeling depressed, except now you've got this sex-crazed lunatic chasing after you and chaining you to beds?"

            "Yup, but I love him anyway," she giggled. "I'm even willing to be his wanton sex slave for all eternity,"

            "And that's why he loves you," He said with a grin and kissed her.

            "What do you really want for breakfast?"

            "You,"

            She laughed, falling back into the bed and pulling him with her.

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            No more!

            It's 13 pages long and it had better damn well be done! God it was supposed to be a one-shot New Year's fic and now it's January 12 and I only just finished its third part.

            Bahh. Hopefully you liked it. I enjoyed writing the last scene immensely, if you couldn't tell.

            And if you don't know what a nymphomaniac is, it's a person that's addicted to sex. I have been talking to my wife Talysmin waaaaayyy too much.

            Did anybody notice how I really *did* make Trunks into a sex-crazed lunatic? Oh well, I like him that way. Maybe I should have rated this R…it's very dirty…

            Eh, whatever. In the end, I'm just a real big hopeless romantic. I couldn't leave the unhappy ending unhappy, I had to screw around with it. 

            And so,

            Happy New Year!


End file.
